While you normally might not pay attention to a Pirates-Reds game, tonight's is worth looking at, at least as a fan if not a bettor, because of two top Cincinnati rookies.
Rookie pitcher Johnny Cueto takes to the mound for the Reds, while arguably the top prospect in baseball, Jay Bruce, is set to make his major-league debut for Cincinnati tonight; Cincy is a -141 money line betting
favorite for Game 1 at WagerWeb.com (over/under: 9).
Let's start with Bruce. He will be promoted to the Reds from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. In 49 games with Louisville this season, Bruce led the International League with a .364 batting average and 67 hits. The outfielder also had 10 home runs, 37 RBIs and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.023.
Since May 3, the 2007 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year was batting .456 (36-for-79), with 13 multihit games in his past 20.
"He was ready for some time, but we wanted to give him more time and give more opportunities to the guys we have here," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "When Jay comes up, he'll play a lot. We wouldn't bring him up and not play him."
Bruce, the Reds' first-round draft pick in 2005, will become the regular center fielder. Corey Patterson has been terrible at the plate when he has started in center (hitting just .201 with a .242 on-base percentage), while Ryan Freel also has played there but is more of a utility player.
"We delayed it as long as we could to get him some more playing time down there," said Jocketty. "Jay can add an element to this club. It creates a bit of a crowd in the outfield, but we'll work it out."
Cincy is likely to now designate veteran Scott Hatteberg for assignment. The 38-year-old has been relegated to pinch-hitting duties with the emergence of Joey Votto at first base.Hatteberg has struggled off the bench, going 1-for-14 as a pinch-hitter, and is hitting .173 overall.
Meanwhile, Cueto looks to turn around his recent fortunes. This guy looked like the sure NL Rookie of the Year in his first few starts. But Cueto (2-5, 5.56) has only one win in his last nine starts.
The 22-year-old right-hander allowed four runs – two earned -- and seven hits in five innings, while throwing a career-high 114 pitches in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday in his last start.
Cueto suffered his first career loss in his only start against the Pirates on April 13, giving up five runs in six innings of a 9-1 defeat.
He'll be opposed by Pittsburgh's Ian Snell (2-3, 4.84 ERA). Snell went 2-0 in his first three starts this season, but hasn't won since allowing three runs in 6 1-3 innings of a 4-3 victory over the Reds on April 12.
The right-hander gave up four runs -- two earned -- with nine hits and six strikeouts in six innings of a 4-1 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday in his last start.
Snell is 3-4 with a 5.18 ERA in eight starts against Cincinnati.
Betting trends: Pirates are 4-1 in Snell's last 5 road starts vs. a team with a losing record. . Reds are 7-0 in their last 7 home games. . Reds are 2-8 in their last 10 home games vs. a team with a losing record. . Reds are 0-4 in their last 4 games vs. a right-handed starter. . Over is 4-1 in Snell's last 5 starts as a road underdog. . Under is 5-0 in Cueto's last 5 home starts. . Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
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